GENERAL PRINCIPLES. 119 



out with its heels, with or without real provocation. 

 It would be, no doubt, a great cruelty to deprive a 

 horse, by means of blinds, of the faculty of providing 

 for his own safety when this care was naturally thrown 

 upon him. But this is not the case with a draught- 

 horse in harness; the driver is there to assume this 

 charge : and the certain consequences of taking blinds 

 off will be to make a great number of horses kickers, 

 and to cause numerous accidents to occur from horses 

 running away to avoid some white apron or handker- 

 chief or the like that appears in their rear. Teams of 

 artillery-horses without blinds become in consequence 

 unapproachable in column by officers who have to 

 gallop up and down with orders ; many a leg has been 

 broken in this way, and many artilleries have intro- 

 duced blinds in consequence, and with immediate 

 effect. Horses without blinds are always for starting 

 off before the driver has a hold of the reins, and soon 

 learn to kick at the least motion of the whip. 



But enough has now been said to prove the great 

 importance of well understanding the principles on 

 which bits and bridles should be applied and con- 

 structed, both as a means of insuring to the rider and 

 driver perfect command over their horses, and also of 

 saving these most useful and docile animals from ill 

 treatment and unnecessary pain. 



